


Swan Lake

by emonerd_io



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Ballet, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, chika is bae, first fic for hq, honestly tanaka's pov is me, lmao its been a year since i watched this anime, wrote this instead of sleeping hehe...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-16 03:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14155320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emonerd_io/pseuds/emonerd_io
Summary: Or: The Peculiar Romance Between Prince Chika and Rothbart, told in IV acts.When Karasuno Ballet Company was rehearsing for their annual ballet concert, a series of events made this an unforgettable production for a certain Ennoshita Chikara and Tanaka Ryuunosuke...Features a doubtful Ennoshita, a gay-ass Tanaka, Daichi's death, and many more exciting things.





	1. Act I

Ukai ran a hand through his blond hair and sorted through a large file full of fliers and sheet music, as the Danseurs of the Karasuno Ballet Company gathered around him after a long afternoon of practice. After searching for another minute or so, he finally dug out a single worn sheet of paper, with many crossing out and scribbling of notes.

He cleared his throat to call for the members’ attention. After being outright ignored over the rambunctious calls of some of the younger members over how many pirouettes they could do with both arms clasped together above their heads (How they had the stamina and energy to do that, he never knew. Must be the miracles of youth), Ukai heaved a sigh, and whistled to a group of older dancers.

Daichi, upon taking his cue, brought his hands together in a thunderous clap and said in a terrifying, powerful voice. “SILENCE!”

Silence ensued.

Ukai huffed, a (not so) secretly satisfied grin spreading over his sharp features. He read over the sheet of paper again. “We have decided the final casting for the annual ballet concert.” An excited murmur befell the room, and Ukai looked towards Daichi again, who gave everyone a murderous glare that immediately silenced the room.

“As you all know,” Ukai continued hastily. “We will be performing Swan Lake this year. I’ve been observing all of you very carefully to select your roles. Of course, I have taken into account about how busy you would be with your further studies and whatnot, so here is the list:

“The lead will be Shimizu Kiyoko. As most of you would have heard, Shimizu-san will be transferring to the Tokyo Ballet as of next year, so this would be a good chance for you to shine. Right, Shimizu?”

“Yes, Ukai-san,” Kiyoko spoke softly but firmly, with the air of an actual princess. The murmurs started again. “Truly Odette, no doubt,” and, “Shimizu-san is amazing…”

And not so much a murmur. “Kiyoko-san!”

“Calm your tits, Ryuu,” laughed Nishinoya, dragging him by the cuff of his sleeve back to the ground. Tanaka groaned as his tailbone slammed into the wooden floor, but chuckled and slapped Noya’s back in response.

Ukai sighed as the boys horsed around, and choose to ignore the commotion, continuing with the list. “Yachi Hitoka will be her understudy. I hope you can gain some experience from dancing along with Shimizu…”

“Yessir!” Yachi saluted, red in the face.

“Now, for the role of Prince Siegfried, we have Sawamura Daichi,” Ukai droned on in his bored voice, though his eyes held a certain spark at this arrangement. He genuinely loved choreography and ballet, but dealing with these guys just tired him out.

“WOAH, Daichi-san is so fucking-” Tanaka started, but a death glare from Ukai and Daichi and a violent jab from neighboring Ennoshita left him stuttering. “...I mean, freaking amazing, huh! Ahaha…”

“And Ennoshita Chikara will be his understudy.”

Tanaka and Noya gasped loudly, turning to Ennoshita, whisper-shouting. “DUDE…”

Ennoshita was paralyzed in shock for a brief second, but quickly regained control over himself and shriveled a little under the attention of the two. “Piss off, guys.”

Ukai muttered something probably vile under his breath and rustled the sheet again. “So let’s announce the other roles. Asahi, I’ve debated between you and Tanaka for the villain role of Rothbart, and I’ve decided that Tanaka’s face is scarier, so you’re Wolfgang, the tutor. Tanaka, you’re Rothbart.”

“Whaddya mean, my face is scarier?” Tanaka twisted his face into something only a mother could love, but the only response he elicited was another violent jab from Ennoshita, which shut him up.

Ukai sighed, and droned on in his monotonous voice, bored as ever. “Suga, you’re the Queen. Nishinoya, you’re Benno…”

~

After a month or so of intensive rehearsals, around the mid-point between when the casting happened (late September) and the actual show (which is to be held before Christmas), Ennoshita had a crisis.

Well, not exactly a crisis, just an extremely heated internal debate with himself about whether he should allow Yachi to continue with her rant about Kiyoko-san or tell her to just confess already.

Really, the answer was obvious, if Yachi confessed to Shimizu and somehow got together (not very unlikely), she would have to deal with Tanaka and Nishinoya, which would be a great pain to everyone, especially Ennoshita, who usually dealt with their shit.

Anyhow, the reason behind his self-to-self debate was because they were practicing for Odette and Prince Siegfried’s dance, and as the understudy of these two characters, Ennoshita and Yachi were paired up for practice, or, they were meant to practice.

Usually (and as of now), Yachi just squealed over Shimizu and stared at her gobsmacked as she spun across the floor with Daichi in tow, notebook in hand, meant for taking notes for her own reference, but mostly just filled with doodles and sketches of Shimizu. It was actually kind of cute. Yachi really had a talent for art, and she could definitely feature as an artist if given proper training, but ballet was her real passion, so here she was.

Ennoshita spent his time musing to himself about life, death, and other things that people muse over. Seldomly, given that Yachi was relatively calm on that day, he would relate to her about his, well, crush on Tanaka, which got out one day when Yachi was feeling particularly anxious about being gay and all (he would rather not go into details about that session, but it involved several awkward attempts at comforting Yachi and a good amount of embarrassed laughter).

Not like he’s told everyone about it. The only people who know, or had an inkling of it, would be Yachi, Saeko nee-san, and Nishinoya (who caught him staring at Buddha-face on more than one occasion, but never seemed to have drawn up any suspicion over the matter).

Prince Siegfried’s part was pretty demanding, and Ennoshita could barely find time for himself to learn the chorus parts, but he’s been managing fine. He held great respect for Daichi, who can do these crazy jumps and twirls without even breaking a sweat when those same moves would leave Ennoshita gasping for breath after doing just a few.

He and Yachi observed intently in silence as the vivacious pair danced before Ukai for him to comment on their techniques. Still, Ennoshita couldn’t help but hear Tanaka and Nishinoya swooning raucously and continuously over the sound of Tchaikovsky's genius that played over the large speakers.

“Kiyoko-san, you look amazing!” “Whoo, go Kiyoko!”

He sighed for the nth time that day, briefly flexed his sore thighs and proceeded to bury his head into his arms. The two idiots’ cat-calling buzzed loudly in his ears. And Ennoshita wondered why, for the life of him, did he have to go fall in love with such a horribly straight guy.

~

Ennoshita watched as Ukai downed his fourth caffeine-infused drink for the morning: a cheap cappuccino. He guessed it was just a substitute for cigarettes because the studio doesn’t allow smoking in the rehearsal rooms (and Ukai was too professional to do such a thing anyway). Ennoshita doesn’t blame him: choreographing a new dance every other day, nit-picking on each individual’s technique and style, dealing with everyone’s shenanigans, it was no wonder he would be feeling extremely stressed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Suga rammed his karate-hand into Daichi’s side as he held a développé (probably for not being able to stretch his right leg as well as before), and Daichi struggling to hold his position until finally losing his balance and toppling over himself. Suga doubled over in a mad, and quite uncharacteristic cackle, and Daichi half-scowled, half-smirked fondly at his friend, causing Ennoshita to huff under his breath at his seniors’ antics.

“Focus, everybody,” Ukai called, and Ennoshita snapped his attention back to practicing his tour en l'air with Tanaka.

“Hey, Chika,” Tanaka whispered to him as Ennoshita fixed his posture. “Don’t you think Daichi-san is truly a man amongst men? Like, he could totally pass for a prince on the streets.”

Ouch. He was pretty aware of the fact that Daichi is truly the epitome of a righteous, manly prince. Ennoshita knew he had no hope since the beginning. He wasn’t really the most skilled danseur after Daichi, so he was quite surprised as to why he became his understudy. He was most probably going to be an extra in the end.

“Ouch, Tanaka,” he told him. “But yeah, he really is, isn’t he, what with that macho feeling about him… Say, why did you suddenly bring that up? Did someone say something? Or...”

But Tanaka was distracted, focused on somewhere else. “Don’cha find it kinda funny that Suga is actually Daichi-san’s mom? They are really good friends, aren’t they? ”

Ennoshita paused, again internally debating with himself if he should let Tanaka know that their seniors were most probably, a little more than friends, but he couldn’t be too sure of it himself, so he allowed that thought to slip away from his mind.

“Well, I suppose that’s funny,” Ennoshita chuckled briefly after an awkward moment of silence, gazing again at Daichi and Suga who were then stretching together.

Tanaka hummed under his breath. “Imagine if you were my mother, or I was yours. That’ll be pretty funny, huh, Chika?”

Ennoshita, feeling oddly touched, let out a strangled choke, which quickly transformed into some sort of a forced snort when Tanaka turned to him quizzically (or constipatedly, although Ennoshita had been around him enough to know that that was indeed a quizzical expression).

“Yeah, hilarious…”

~

“You have to go like this,” Ukai demonstrated, hands extending from their crossed position on his chest defiantly outwards. “Like you’re saying: ‘No, mother, I want to marry for love.’ Practice by yourselves. And give me a moment, I’ll be back soon.”

As he hurried off to lecture Hinata-kun and Kageyama-kun about the Importance of the Careful Treatment of Props™, Ennoshita practiced the gesture, reciting to himself. “No, mother, I want to marry for love.”

Suga sidled up to him, which gave him a little of a shock. “Marry for love? My dear, there are things more important than love. Like money, and food. And you still want to marry for love?” he scoffed, totally in character, as the majestic Queen of his kingdom. “Marry for love, my ass.”

Before Ennoshita could finally catch up to reality, Daichi winked without missing a beat. 

“Yes, mother, I will marry for love for your ass.”

Spluttering, and thoroughly red-faced, Suga whacked Daichi’s thighs with his scepter, causing him to fall face-first to the floor (yet again).

 _You totally asked for this, Daichi-san_ , Ennoshita thought, trying in vain to muffle his sniggers as said danseur chased his fake royal mother across the room.

_“Sugawara, Sawamura, I was hoping I didn’t have to tell you this, but please resume your practice and stop frisking around, for heaven’s sake.”_

_“Sorry, Ukai-sensei, but Suga started this-”_

_“No, I did not! You were clearly the one who harassed me, you disrespectful son of mine-”_

_“No, you’re the irresponsible mother, and I-”_

_“Sugawara-kun, Sawamura-kun, please resume practice.”_

_“Y-yes sir, sorry sir.”_

~

Swan Lake was a masterpiece, and Tchaikovsky was a genius, but Ennoshita just couldn’t get himself to like it. He was fine with the movements, for it stemmed from classical Russian ballet, which was pleasant enough, but difficult to wrap your head around. Mostly due to Ukai’s strange choreography. Well, strange was one way to put it. Some might even say creative. The plot was probably what got to him. It was too cheesy and underdeveloped, to say the least, it being a tragedy-turned comedy (they were performing the version with four acts) didn’t help either. Perhaps Ennoshita was being too critical about the plot of a ballet, but if he was, so be it.

 _But who are you to question Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ennoshita Chikara?_ he thought to himself, smiling a little. At least he could get a few kicks out of watching his colleagues rehearse. He watched as Asahi stuttered through his actions, (Can you even stutter through actions? Asahi can.) and he can almost imagine the barely masked annoyance on Daichi’s face.

They were rehearsing the first act, where Prince Siegfried was upset that his mother, the Queen, did not allow him to marry for love, so Benno, his best friend, and Wolfgang, his tutor were to cheer him up.

Well, any attempts at cheering Daichi up by those two were just going to bring about the opposite effect. Ennoshita’s eyes crinkled in mirth as Asahi hurriedly apologized to a murderous Daichi after almost kicking him for the third time. 

“Daichi-san sure gets into a lot of injury-inducing events,” Yamaguchi commented next to him, and Ennoshita hummed in agreement. He huffed again when Noya jumped onto Asahi’s back to thump his chest, shouting something about being a man and what not.

If looks could kill, Daichi would have the blood of two men in his hands (or eyes?).

Later, when Ukai was coaching the swans in their dance (the _Valse des Cygnes_ ), he shared a few laughs with Noya and Tanaka as they watched Yamaguchi trip over a pissed Kageyama, and as Hinata argued with Tsukishima about how short people are better because they get to stand in the front of photos, choreo, and yadda yadda. Ennoshita waved cheerily to poor Kinoshita and Narita, who were left to deal with their juniors, and they flipped him off subtly.

Yes, Ennoshita was enjoying rehearsals very much, and he has Tchaikovsky to thank for that.

~

Ukai was glued to his phone the entire morning, texting someone with a (semi-permanent) scowl on his face. He clucked his tongue at his phone, seemingly very annoyed.

“Check out Ukai-san’s period mood,” Ennoshita muttered as he elbowed the baldie in the side. Tanaka spun around to look at the said person, then he looked at Ennoshita, after which he proceeded to guffaw obnoxiously loudly (and pretty adorably). Ennoshita turned slightly red, panicking a little internally before clamping the baldie’s mouth shut with an iron palm.

Tanaka winced as he muttered back. “It’s his period mood, alright. You’re hilarious, Chika.”

Ennoshita pretended not to notice as his heart skipped a beat and carried on with putting on his ballet shoes. “Though I heard Takeda-sensei’s coming today. That’ll probably change things up for the better.”

The director, Ittetsu Takeda, was a bubbly, yet shockingly persistent guy. Ennoshita admired him since he first came, partially because they were both film geeks (he has gotten into heated discussions with him about _The Godfather_ when he came last year), and partially because he was probably the only person who could soften Ukai’s mood.

He observed as Ukai suddenly beamed uncharacteristically, and pocketed his phone with an excited grin. “That’s the cue. Takeda-sensei is probably arriving soon.”

Tanaka gave a whoop. “Yay, Take-chan! I’ve missed him so much!”

Ennoshita, brimming with anticipation, smiled sleepily. “Yeah.”

~

“But, man, just the presence of Take-chan can really tame Sensei’s temper, huh?” Tanaka yawned as he stretched lazily. “Must be a ‘good friends’ thing. I reckon they must be pretty close.”

Ennoshita hummed, scrolling through pages of _The Dark Knight_ ’s reviews. They were waiting for their usual train at the metro station, Tanaka holding an aimless conversation and Ennoshita just nodding along, reading up on what Takeda and he discussed today. The distant rumbling of trains carrying cartloads of passengers across the villages was familiar and comforting, and Tanaka’s presence at his side just made everything better, as usual. It filled up the silence. (Their studio was pretty remote, and Ennoshita lived in the city almost all his life, so the noisier the better.)

“... and what really got me was when Take-chan said, _‘Wow Tanaka-kun, you really do look like Rothbart. But perhaps, you could move a little more like him?’_ And then he showed me how Rothbart should move. Did you see him do that? Take-chan was amazing! I really thought he became Rothbart, all slimy and slithery and all,” Tanaka blabbered on, jabbing his chest with a thumb. “I’m definitely going to learn a lot from him and become the very best Rothbart there is!”

“Good for you,” Ennoshita murmured into his hand-knitted scarf (that was sent to him by his mother last week). He was scrolling through an especially heated debate between two reviewers in the comments of a review. Man, these people really gave him a headache.

He suddenly felt Tanaka’s eyes bore into the side of his face, and after an uncomfortable amount of staring, Ennoshita turned towards him. “What.”

Tanaka continued staring and tilted his head to the side cutely (which Ennoshita’s heart willfully ignored). “Chika.”

“Hmm?”

“Chikara.”

“Okay, I’m putting it down,” Ennoshita pocketed his phone with a sigh and raised his hands in surrender. “What do you want?”

Tanaka smiled and turned towards the empty space where the train would be in two minutes. “Don’t worry about being less talented than Daichi.” Ennoshita visibly recoiled, and Tanaka chortled, “You are! You’re neither as skillful, nor as experienced, nor brave.”

Ennoshita’s gut twisted sourly, but he just laughed in response. “Okay, I get it, Tanaka. Thanks for hurting my pride. I’m never gonna be better than Daichi.”

Tanaka gazed at him weirdly. “See what I mean, Chika? You’re not never gonna be better than Daichi. You’re just not better than him yet.” He patted his shoulder and prodded his backside. “Stop slouching. Have more confidence.”

Ennoshita regarded him wearily. “Okay, so? It’s still pretty unlikely that I’m going to perform as Prince Siegfried since Daichi is that much better than me. I might as well focus on my other roles…”

“Nonsense!” Tanaka shouted. His voice echoed in the half-emptiness of the train station. Tanaka, realizing what a ruckus he made, lowered his voice, looking abashed. “I mean, don’t you see what I mean? Your efforts will not be wasted! You worked so hard for Ukai-san to see you as someone with the potential to match Daichi-san: and that’s something! That’s really something, Chika.”

Ennoshita felt like he had an epiphany. Right, it was stupid of him to think that all of his efforts would go to waste. He should become more opportunistic, and thought of this as a learning opportunity. Tanaka’s booming voice echoed loudly in his head: _“Nonsense!”_

“Thanks, Tanaka, I really needed that.”

“Anytime. I once read a phrase in a book- yes, I read sometimes, stop smiling,” he frowned childishly and prodded Ennoshita in the side. “Your name, Ennoshita Chikara. It comes from「縁の下の力持ち」, right? _Doing something without expecting credit._ But you’re talented, you know. And one day, people will give you credit. Lots of credit.” Tanaka’s cheeks were faintly dusted with red in the cold of the platform, and he looked stunning as ever. “Until you get all the credit you deserve.”

Ennoshita regarded him with warmth pooling in his stomach, and he really wanted to kiss him. Oh, god, he couldn’t kiss him. Tanaka was contemplating the green-tinted fluorescent lights, looking kind of stupid (not like he’d say anything about that, the moment was just too special). He exhaled, traces of steam from his lips condensing in the air, and twirled up towards the harsh lighting.

“One day, Chika, you’ll shine brighter than everyone else,” Tanaka stated, like it was a fact.

Feeling dazed and numb with the cold, and something else he could not name, Ennoshita opened his mouth. “Ryuu, I-”

The thunderous rumble of the train shook the ground on which they stood, their shadows that were casted on the platform by the fluorescent lights shook violently, and Ennoshita became silent.

“Hmm? What did you say?”

Ennoshita shoved his hands deeper into his winter coat, and strode towards the open doors of the train. “Come on, baldie, let’s go.”

~

Later, as the train approached their station, and when their bodies were almost sandwiched between the mass of people going home from work, Ennoshita spoke up, quite flustered (mostly because he could feel Tanaka’s hot breath on his cheeks). “Tanaka.”

“Yes, Chika?”

He smiled. “Don’t think I’m gonna warm that bench forever.”

The train jolted the passengers upwards, and Ennoshita lost his balance, falling straight into Tanaka’s chest. Only their coats separated them: Tanaka was squashed between his friend and the doors of the compartment. Upon realizing this, Ennoshita smiled sheepishly, before removing himself from the vicinity of his crush.

“What bench?” Tanaka asked, dusting himself off.

Ennoshita scrunched his eyebrows together. “Huh?”

“You said you’re not gonna warm that bench forever. What bench do you mean?”

“Oh… right. It’s just a sports metaphor. Don’t worry about it.”

“But, Chika, we are ballet dancers, not athletes…”

~

It was on the first Saturday of the month when disaster struck.

“Daichi-san!...” breathed Tanaka.

An audible gasp resounded within the walls of the vast practice room. Suga half-ran, half-skidded across the wooden floor on his stockings to collapse before his befallen colleague. Ukai and Takeda came running too, the medical kit in tow.

“What happened?”

“Crashed into Tanaka, it seems.”

“Daichi-san!”

“Is he okay?”

“DAICHI!” Suga cried, shaking him by the arm. “Did you hurt yourself? I mean- silly me, of course you did. Where did you hurt yourself?”

Tanaka’s eyes were frozen in fear, and he lifted himself fully off the floor to flump down beside him. “Daichi-san… Oh no, this is all my fault…”

“Don’t blame yourself, stupid!” Nishinoya whacked him on the head, pulling Tanaka up by the armpits. “Are you okay? You didn’t hurt yourself as well?”

“I’m fine, Noya,” Tanaka waved him off gratefully. “But…”

He trailed off as he watched Ukai survey the damage. “Apart from some serious bruising on his face and thighs, he seems fine.” A wrenching cough shook Daichi’s torso, and he grunted in pain.

“Ah, he bit his lip. Azumane, go fetch him some ice.”

“Y-yes, sensei.”

“Daichi… ’m so glad you’re okay,” Suga sniffed, leaning closer to him. “’m so glad you’re not hospitalized ‘cause I really hate hospitals and I’ll have to go to one just to visit you…”

“Stop-” Cough. “joking around, Suga,” Daichi croaked.

“Daichi-san, you’re alive!” Hinata cheered. “Though, you do sound like some old grandpa on his deathbed.”

“I’m so sorry, Daichi-san!” “It’s fine, Tanaka.”

“Here, ice.” “Thanks, Asahi.”

Everyone breathed a great sigh of relief, and the noise level in the room rose again.

“Hey, at least you didn’t-” Suga made finger-guns. “ _Die_ -chi.”

“I’m going to kill you…”

~

“Due to unforeseen and unfortunate injuries,” Ukai cleared his throat. “Sawamura will not be performing at the annual concert. He will be fine, but would be taking a month’s rest from dancing. Ennoshita would therefore be taking his place.” He glanced at his watch. “Any questions? No? Then you are all dismissed.”

Tanaka skipped towards him. “Hey, Chika, guess you really won’t be warming the bench anytime soon.”

Ennoshita paused in his step. “Oh. Yeah.”

“You get to dance with Kiyoko-sama!” Tanaka whined. “You lucky, lucky bastard!”

Ennoshita faintly remembered their conversation on the station platform a month ago:

_Don’t think I’m gonna be warming that bench forever._

He gasped. Could it be because of him? No way! These things happened by chance. He really didn’t mean any harm on Daichi’s behalf when he said he was going to shine one day, did he?

Ennoshita turned towards Tanaka with wide eyes. The idiot was just whistling to himself, without a care in the world. When their eyes met, he knew Tanaka could see right through him, and he must had seen Ennoshita’s internal freak-out, for he heaved a loud sigh.

“You’re thinking of something incredibly stupid. This was neither your fault nor mine,” Tanaka drawled, hoisting an arm over Ennoshita’s shoulder. “So seize this opportunity! It is really Ennoshita Chikara’s time to shine!”

Ennoshita, feeling quite placated by the loud declaration, shook the intruding arm off his shoulder. He sniggered. “But really, Tanaka? This was kinda your fault…”

“Shut up, Chika.”


	2. Act II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Features a lot of heart clenching. Alternative title: Tanaka's heart muscle workout.
> 
> This chapter is in Tanaka's pov.

Tanaka knew Ennoshita. He should: they’ve been friends since high school, after all. He knew that he was hardworking, geeky, and salty at times. He knew that he really admired Daichi, and was feeling quite insecure when he was made his understudy. He knew that when Ennoshita really puts his mind to something, he would throw away his rhythm and routine and become extremely fixated on it.

And this was precisely why Tanaka was left waiting for their usual train, alone with his thoughts.

Not that he regretted encouraging his friend to shine, and work hard! Tanaka was very proud of his own actions and their consequences; Ennoshita looked more confident than he ever did (although that wasn’t saying much). And even though Tanaka was pretty jealous of him for being able to dance with Kiyoko, he was feeling more lonely now than bitter.

Tanaka exhaled. How nice it was, being able to talk to someone.

He knew he was being melodramatic, but he didn’t care. Ever since Ennoshita officially “became” Prince Siegfried, the guy was staying behind at the studio until late at night and arriving at the studio an hour early just to practice his parts, almost obsessively. And being the over-caring bastard he was, Ennoshita didn’t allow Tanaka to wait for him, instead insisting that he went home to rest up, threatening to bring Saeko into this if he didn’t obey. Ennoshita was cunning that way.

Tanaka listened as the distant rumbling of the train crescendoed gradually, but never loud enough to drown out his senses, and he threw his head on the back of the station bench in frustration, eyelashes casting prominent shadows in the dissonant glow of the lights above him. His mind drew a blank. Ennoshita’s presence was usually what prompted him to speak, so now he felt drained, as if the lack of a conversation partner left him so restless that all of the energy in him evaporated without a surface to precipitate on. The wind wailed from within the darkness of the tunnels, nipping the shells of his ears and making goosebumps rise from his exposed forearms.

Tanaka didn’t feel anything though. He just felt numb. The train was closer now, and its noise almost brought him some comfort.

 _I hope Chika’s not gonna feel alone when he’s going home_ , he thought and scoffed at himself for thinking so. Ennoshita would probably feel so relieved that he didn’t have to deal with him that he’d just start going home alone from now on.

Walking towards the edge of the platform with his bag slung over his shoulder, he shuddered slightly, as if finally woken from his trance. His fingers gripped the leather straps of his bag, and Tanaka felt them finally thawing. The train came in an ear-splitting howl, powerful and deafening, and he felt the skin of his face plastered flat against his cheekbones. He reached up to pat his shaven head and wondered how it would feel like if he grew his hair out. Maybe he’ll style it into a fringe, like Ennoshita’s.

(If Ennoshita was here, his hair would have whipped wildly and Tanaka would tease him about his new hairstyle. Ennoshita would then push him playfully, and he’d feign falling into the tracks just to hear Ennoshita laugh. He had a nice laugh.)

Then the train slowed to a halt, the wind broke, and the pressure level in the atmosphere dropped. Tanaka took another step forward as the compartment doors slid open.

~

Ennoshita wasn’t at home when Tanaka went to his apartment to check on him the next morning. Granted, Ennoshita did text him that he would be leaving earlier than usual and would not wait for him if he came too late, but Tanaka didn’t receive the message until he finished packing up his clothes and was getting ready to leave so by the time he arrived, slightly sweaty from jogging two blocks in the sunny warmth of a November morning, the bird had flown.

After enduring yet another lonely train ride and buying himself a quick breakfast at their usual store, Tanaka arrived earlier than usual (probably because he didn’t laze around Ennoshita’s apartment for twenty minutes that morning) and made his way to the back of the studio where the locker room was. He was planning to get a head start in stretching. However, something stopped him before he managed to reach the locker room was.

The sweet, melancholic theme of Swan Lake was playing in the large studio, where they usually held their practices. Tanaka stopped short, realizing that this must be where Ennoshita and Kiyoko were practicing. He should really leave them to it, but curiosity got the better of him.

Tanaka scurried against the wall and peered into the studio through the wired mesh in the glass of the door, and what he saw made his eyes widened into saucers.

Tanaka would say he was pretty in tune with his own emotions. When he was happy, he knew he was happy, and would openly display his joy (which often included discarding his shirt); when he was upset, he would identify his source of sadness immediately, and took action to prevent himself from dwelling on it too much; when he was riled up, he easily intimidated people around him, which proved useful at times. All in all, he knew what he felt, and what he had to do to deal with his emotions most of the time.

This was not one of those times.

He held his breath as Kiyoko arched her back gracefully, then leaped into the air and landed with careful precision, into Ennoshita’s outstretched arms. The pair waltzed across the studio elegantly like a pair of swan lovers in a passionate mating dance. It was simply breathtaking. Tanaka was at once reminded of Kiyoko’s beauty and goddess-like aura and was just as taken aback as he witnessed Ennoshita’s charm in action. He never knew Ennoshita could move like this, limbs stretched out long and firm, his handsome features half-lit, half silhouetted by the dim lamps in the studio which created a misty, morning atmosphere in which the two dancers melted into with practiced leaps and spins. Kiyoko was smiling faintly at Ennoshita, and he was smiling too, a certain glow held behind his eyes that Tanaka only saw when Ennoshita was watching a particularly good film.

They danced for what seemed forever, and he watched in stunned silence, holding back a loud sneeze, afraid that he’d be found or that he’d destroy the magical atmosphere inside the studio. Tanaka suddenly felt a violent clenching in his heart and raised a hand to his chest to feel the rapid pulsing within. A semi-foreign feeling overcame him, and he let out a confused hum, pressing his palm more firmly into his skin. He recognized the feeling, but could not understand why it felt so different from anything he felt before.

 _I’m feeling jealous_ , Tanaka identified. Why was he feeling so? The answer was obvious. He must be jealous of Ennoshita who was dancing with the ultimate goddess of ballet, Kiyoko-sama. Curse that Chika.

But as he continued observing the pair, he realized that his heart didn’t pound as hard when he watched Kiyoko than when he watched Ennoshita.

This was damn confusing.

~

“From the top, guys! Back to your positions! Ready?” Ukai bellowed. “One, two, three. Two, two, three…”

The “suitors” twirled merrily across the studio (except Kageyama, that bastard was scowling like the devil took a shit in his tea or something), and they were surrounding Ennoshita in their dance, flaunting their fans and flirting with him, or attempting to. Ennoshita was trying his best not to burst out laughing as Kinoshita and Narita flounced their imaginary hair and gowns. Takeda-sensei, who was standing to the side of the screaming Ukai, was no better.

Tanaka was waiting in the back with Kiyoko, wearing Ukai’s old curtains as a makeshift cloak and leaning against the mirrors. Kiyoko stretched her legs, and Tanaka met eyes with Noya, who was taking a break at the front and watching the rehearsals, and they both swooned at each other.

“Kiyoko-sama is beautiful as always!” Noya mouthed, trying and failing to be subtle. Tanaka was about to respond in enthusiastic agreement when a sudden change in the atmosphere of the room made him turn.

Ennoshita was now gesturing to Suga in agitation, somehow still looking prince-like and graceful. The “suitors”, who were in fact maidens hoping to be wed to the prince, giggled to each other and fanned themselves in anticipation. What that meant was that Hinata, Yamaguchi, Kinoshita, and Narita did just so, while Kageyama and Tsukishima glared at each other, a dark aura radiating from where they stood in the background. Tsukishima’s fan hung limply at his side, and Tanaka could just about make out what he was saying.

“Oh dear, looks like the pretty suitor wanted to be king,” Tsukishima sneered at Kageyama, who snapped at him with malice, his fan raised above his head like a cobra coiling to strike. “Too bad he’s just a lowly maiden. Hey, maybe if you could somehow make yourself more pleasing to look at, you could marry into the family and rule over the kingdom! Sounds good, king-sama?”

Hinata rushed forward to stop Kageyama from actually physically harming the blonde. “Stop, Bakageyama! He’s just trying to rile you up. Just smile and be nice, and ignore Stingyshima. Like this!”

As Hinata proceeded to demonstrate (giving Kageyama a nosebleed), Ukai paused the music and crossed his arms in a murderous stance. “If y’all morons are finished with wasting our time, can we please continue?” He was met with silence. Everyone was frozen with fear in their respective positions. “Thank you.”

The music resumed and Tanaka sniggered to himself. He watched the suitors twirl. If only girls could flock to him like they did to Ennoshita, except with real girls, and not idiots tripping over their feet trying to imitate wearing fancy gowns...

Tanaka became lost in thought. Out of these pretty suitors, who would Ennoshita choose? Perhaps one of his friends, like Kinoshita or Narita? Tanaka couldn’t imagine it. Maybe Hinata or even Yamaguchi? They were pretty cute acting as maidens… Of course, in the story, he would end up choosing Kiyoko. Odile, the black swan.

Tanaka felt the semi-foreign clenching in his chest again, which he dismissed with a grunt. He definitely wasn’t thinking for even a moment how he, Tanaka, would look dressed up as a black swan, dancing seductively with the prince. (But Tanaka definitely was thinking that. He wanted to hit himself. What was wrong with him?)

“Tanaka!” Ukai yelled over the music in his direction, and he snapped to attention. “Get ready! Don’t miss your cue!”

“Sorry, Ukai-san! I’m getting ready now!” Tanaka hollered back, pulling the curtains tighter around his shoulders. Kiyoko got into position as well, and following the music, she spun out of Tanaka’s cloak and into Ennoshita’s arms…

As he watched the pair dance together, Tanaka’s heart lurched yet again.

~

“Breathe in, bro,” Nishinoya instructed Tanaka, sitting on his back as they stretched for warm-ups the next day. Tanaka leaned deeper into his splits, taking in deep breathes. This was routine to the dancers and so he did the stretches automatically, without really paying attention to what was going on around him.

After mechanically switching positions a few times, Nishinoya said something to him. Tanaka wasn’t really paying attention, so he merely blinked in response. “Huh?”

“I said that you seemed distracted lately,” Nishinoya repeated. “Especially yesterday, when you suddenly ignored me when we were talking about Kiyoko-sama. What’s gotten into you?”

For a moment, Tanaka considered telling his bro all about the clenching in his chest. They were best bros! He could tell Nishinoya anything and trust him not to tell anyone else. But Tanaka felt that this was not a matter he wanted to discuss with anyone, not even to his bestest bro on the planet, so he decided to laugh it off.

“Distracted?” Tanaka dismissed with a snort. “When am I ever distracted? When I do something, I just do it like a man! You know all about that, Noya.” When Nishinoya did not reply with enthusiasm as per usual, he changed directions. “Trust me, bro. I’m not distracted. I was just… tired? Yeah, I was tired yesterday. But don’t worry, I’m all better now!”

Nishinoya furrowed his brows, but after a few more seconds of silence, he gave Tanaka a thumbs up. “Well then, bro, I hope you’re all rested up! Our Rothbart needs to be scary and full of energy!”

Tanaka let out a sigh of relief. “I’m really okay, Noya. Thanks for caring about me anyways, bro.”

“Anytime, Ryuu.”

~

Tanaka was fiddling with the straps of his shoes as he waited for Ennoshita after rehearsals. He checked the clock in the hallway. It was 20:45. Saeko’s shift ended at 21:30. They would have to hurry to make it on time.

Saeko worked in a ramen shop on Tuesday, one of the many part-time jobs that she took up to “train her working-spirit” or something. It became a sort of tradition whereby after work on Tuesdays Ennoshita and Tanaka would go to her workplace for dinner, then they would crash by Ennoshita’s apartment, which was across the street, to watch a movie together.

Which was why Tanaka was anxiously waiting outside the studio, carrying both his and Ennoshita’s bags as he waited for Ennoshita to finish. Ukai was briefing him and Kiyoko about something important, apparently.

Tanaka bounced restlessly on the ball of his feet. It’s been a full ten minutes since they started talking. What was taking them so long?

Suddenly, the studio doors creaked open revealing Ennoshita, still in his dancing clothes. “Tanaka?”

“Hey, what took you so long? Saeko’s waiting. I even packed your bag for you!”

“Thanks,” Ennoshita’s half-lidded eyes shifted with unease. “Um, Tanaka, I don’t think I can come with you today. Ukai-san wants us for another hour or so, apparently.”

Tanaka blanched. “That’s tough. Saeko’s shift is over in a little over thirty minutes.”

Ennoshita sighed. “Yeah, so I guess I’ll have to pass today. Tell Saeko-san I’ll see her after the performance next week.”

“But Chika, you promised that we’ll watch my movie this week! I really want to show you the part where the big professor guy was like-”

“Look, Ukai-san’s calling for me,” Ennoshita patted Tanaka’s shoulder lightly. “Just watch it alone tonight.”

“But Chika-”

“Oh, and please leave my bag here outside the studio. Thanks, Tanaka.” The door slammed shut, and Ennoshita was gone. Tanaka spent another minute or so staring blankly at the closed door of the studio, before finally removing Ennoshita’s bag from his shoulder to place it on the floor in the hallways. He gave one last look at the door, which remained closed, before turning and walking out of the studio building.

~

And that was why Tanaka sat alone in the ramen shop, slurping his extra large bowl of pork-bone-broth soaked noodles as loudly as he could just to drown out the silence. His heart was writhing around in his chest like crazy. To alleviate that feeling, Tanaka chugged the entire soup base in a single gulp, panting heavily as he carefully lowered the bowl onto the tabletop.

(No matter how shitty he felt, he wasn’t ready to go against the wrath of Saeko’s boss when his bowl breaks again.)

Ennoshita almost never missed ‘Tuesday ramen nights’, or so Tanaka called them. He knew how much Ennoshita loved seaweed ramen. He also knew how much Ennoshita (secretly) loved watching films with Tanaka, no matter how rowdy he may be, because films truly calm him down so that even Tanaka’s antics didn’t bother him.

Tanaka was genuinely looking forward to the movie tonight. Ennoshita promised last week that this week would be Tanaka’s pick (after forcing Tanaka to watch a boring-ass French art film with him). He was looking forward to watching _3 idiots_ with Ennoshita and laughing at all the inappropriate jokes that Ennoshita scoffed were “distasteful”, but when he thought Tanaka wasn’t looking, he was grinning to himself like an idiot as well, dimples prominent on his cheeks. 

Ennoshita’s smile; Tanaka was looking forward to seeing that too.

“Damn that stupid Chika!” He grumbled under his breath. “Damn Ukai-san!”

“What’s ticking you off, Ryuu? Why are you cursing Chikara-kun and Ukai?” His sister leaned across the workbench into Tanaka’s face. Tanaka swatted her away, but she didn’t bat an eye at him. He sighed.

“Nothing, Saeko. Leave me alone.”

Saeko hummed. “You look lonely enough to me. What’s wrong? Why isn’t Chikara-kun with you?”

He sighed again. Tanaka really wasn’t a sighing kind of guy, but he couldn’t be bothered to stop himself this time. “Prince business. He needs to practice with Kiyoko.”

“Kiyoko?” Saeko gasped. “As in ‘the beautiful Kiyoko-sama whom you admire and adore’? No wonder you’re upset. You must be jealous!”

Tanaka’s heart clenched again at the word. _Jealous_. Yes, he must be jealous that Ennoshita got to dance with Kiyoko. Not that Tanaka wanted to be Prince Siegfried, he’d much rather be Rothbart, thank you very much.

“Wait. Did you say 'prince'? Chikara is the prince?” Saeko whooped, noodle strainer clanging against the countertop as she threw it aside in excitement. “Now I’m hyped up! I can’t wait to watch the show! He’d better work hard, huh?”

Tanaka shrugged noncommittally, popping open a can of soda. “I guess, sis.”

“Shouldn’t you being a supportive friend, then? Stop being jealous, Ryuu,” she punched him lightly on the shoulder.

“I _am_ being a supportive friend,” Tanaka insisted as he inhaled his soda, but his chest felt even tighter at the admission. “I was just telling Chika last week about how it was his turn to shine.”

Saeko went quiet for a moment. She gave him a look that he couldn’t exactly decipher, but he knew it meant that she had something she wanted to say. Her eyes held a secret that Tanaka wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but since it was probably about Ennoshita, he sort of did want to know.

“What? Spit it out, sis. It’s about Chika, right?”

Saeko hummed vaguely. “Nothing, Ryuu. I didn’t say anything.”

“You looked like you wanted to,” Tanaka sucked furiously at what remained of the soda inside the can. “Whatever. I’ll find out someday.”

He placed his empty soda can on the countertop and burped loudly and unceremoniously into the silence of the empty shop. Saeko wrinkled her nose at him.

“Now that you’re done, please get out so we can close down for the night.”

As Tanaka walked back home by himself after leaving the shop, he leaned back to observe the dim glow of the stars in the inky darkness of the sky, and how the intense glaring of the streetlamps almost washed out the stars. How metaphorical. Tanaka couldn’t make sense of it. He thought of his own face, and how if he were less scary looking, he just might be able to look like a pretty maiden. Perhaps, even Princess Odette. Then he could dance with Prince Siegfried, who would fall in love with him at first sight, and declare his love to the starry skies!

Tanaka blew a raspberry and chuckled to himself. How silly, and how delusional! What was he thinking? He was Rothbart, the scary, bad guy who transformed beautiful princesses into swans! He waved his arms around as if he were truly the evil Rothbart, and cackled madly into the empty streets that were void of human life as he continued his journey home.

However, no matter how loudly he cackled to quell the odd feeling in his chest, it lingered with him throughout the rest of the night.

~

The feeling returned two-fold as Tanaka strode beside Ennoshita the next day. They had just left Ennoshita’s apartment and were making their way to their usual store for breakfast before heading towards to studio. Their typical morning itinerary, basically, since Ennoshita wasn’t called to rehearsals earlier.

However, something was definitely off. While Ennoshita ranted to him about Ukai’s relentless criticism, Tanaka mostly remained silent for the duration of their walk, humming distractedly in response to Ennoshita’s complaints as he walked with his hands shoved inside his pockets.

Ennoshita paused in his tracks abruptly, causing Tanaka to crash into his shoulder.

“Ouch! Why did you stop?”

Ennoshita studied him for a long moment, making Tanaka shift uncomfortably from the intensity of his scrutinizing. “You’re acting weird, Tanaka. You’ve barely said a word to me since I saw you. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, I’m telling you,” Tanaka snapped, slightly flustered by Ennoshita’s concern. “Why is everyone asking me that these days?”

“Because you’re acting weird.”

“I’m not!”

Ennoshita frowned, a deep wrinkle forming between his eyebrows. Tanaka had to physically restrain himself from reaching out and smoothening his skin. Suddenly, Ennoshita’s face split into a grin. “I know! Are you jealous that I get to dance with Shimizu?” When Tanaka failed to respond, his grin widened. “Of course you are! I knew you were jealous, but I didn’t think you would be that jealous.”

He forced a smile. “Shut up, Chika.” Tanaka’s heart clenched again, chest constricting so much that he could barely breathe. Somehow, it was worse when Ennoshita was the one to point it out, especially since Tanaka himself wasn’t sure why he didn’t feel as jealous of Ennoshita as he was supposed to.

Ennoshita’s face crumbled a little after he said that, which almost escaped Tanaka’s notice. That was very weird. After his expression became pleasantly neutral again, Ennoshita raised both his hands in mock surrender. “Apologies. Anyways, what are you ordering?”

Without realizing it, they had reached the store. Tanaka mentally slapped himself for being so distracted. “Um, sorry… A cream cheese bagel and chocolate milk, please.”

~

The lively hunting tune blasted from the speakers and Ennoshita leaped into the air and spun around as Ukai called out the beats. Ennoshita was holding a makeshift crossbow which was in actuality Ukai’s dustpan. Gracefully, he pranced across the studio, imitating a prince hunting for creatures deep within the woods.

“Nice jête, Ennoshita, but you need to think ‘up’! Bend your knees more, that’s right!” Ukai coached. He gestured to the swans lining up by the mirror. “Take your cue, guys.”

Tanaka watched with fascination as Ennoshita aimed the dustpan at the audience, looking fetching as ever. Nishinoya, who was lying on the floor beside him, ribbed him in the side. “Whatcha starin’ at?”

He shrugged his friend off and continued to stare at Ennoshita. Nishinoya did not take to being ignored very well and shoved his face next to Tanaka’s. “Don’t you think Ennoshita kinda looks like cupid? He’s holding a bow and flying around.” As Tanaka watched him more intently, he realized that Ennoshita indeed looked like the little god of love, albeit much larger and less child-like. The dustpan made him look stupid.

Tanaka laughed sharply and elbowed Nishinoya. “I see what you mean, bro! That’s funny.”

He watched as Ennoshita aimed his crossbow at Tanaka, and mimed releasing an arrow. Tanaka fell backward from his sitting position on the floor, landing atop Nishinoya, and he clutched his chest, groaning in faux pain from being struck by the invisible ‘arrow’.

“Ow, get off, Ryuu!”

“Sorry Noya.” Tanaka sat up again and risked a glance at Ennoshita.

The prince had almost lost his composure, face red with mirth. It was quite a sight, and something in Tanaka’s heart went “thunk” as he drank Ennoshita’s expression in. Wait. _“Thunk”_? The moment of hilarity was lost for Tanaka as the hand clutching his chest loosened with surprise. His heart skipped a few beats.

“Oh,” he whispered to himself. “ _Oh._ ”

It seemed as though Tanaka had been struck by cupid’s arrow. He couldn’t feel his pulse. Nishinoya clucked his tongue from his position on the floor as he watched his friend. “‘ _Oh_ ’ indeed.”

~

During their lunch break, Tanaka was immediately flagged down by an excitable Nishinoya.

“Come eat lunch with me, bro! I have some stuff to talk to you about.”

Tanaka waved goodbye helplessly to Ennoshita as his bubbly friend dragged him away. “Where to, Noya?”

Nishinoya tugged insistently at Tanaka’s elbow as they jogged lightly away from the studio building, and after reaching their destination, which turned out to be a nearby café, he pulled out a chair for himself and sat down, motioning for Tanaka to do the same.

“Tell me now, bro,” Nishinoya interrogated him immediately, crossing his arms. “Do you like Ennoshita Chikara?”

Tanaka felt his face flush, but his heart did not clench. No, he felt as if his heart has been released from confinement, and it was beating wildly, and louder than it ever did before.

“Yes, bro,” Tanaka proclaimed in a serious voice. “I’m pretty damn sure I do. I may be straight yesterday, but as of today, I finally came to the realization that I am indeed, very gay for Chika. I have switched teams, Noya, and now I stand before you, a changed man. I finally see the light!”

“Good for you, bro,” Nishinoya grinned, but his façade slipped away quickly as he lowered his voice and glanced around, leaning forward across the table. “What are you going to do about it?

Tanaka replied with a near-identical grin materializing on his face. “I’m going to woo Chika, and I know just how to do it.” He hesitated a little. “Do you think he’ll ever like me back?”

“No doubt, my bro! Who wouldn’t fall for such a dashing guy like you?” Nishinoya laughed and slapped his forearm in excitement, making Tanaka wince a little. “Tell me about that plan.”

“Thanks, bro. So anyway. First, I think I’ll ask Yachi…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohohoho... so what's their plan?
> 
> Hope you've enjoyed that a little :) Tysm for reading! Thanks to Sam again for betaing. I had a lot of fun worrying about Tanaka's character in this chapter. Is he too ooc? I mean, gay revelations can make you pretty ooc I guess... Fuck, idk anymore, I'm just glad I'm done with this.
> 
> >> 3 Idiots is a bollywood drama film and it's hilarious. It manages to be cheesy and heartwarming and funny and generally great. Watch it.
> 
> Next chapter will be out sometime in the next 2 weeks. I have a chemistry report and 7 reading assignments so I should get to them quickly now (rip I'm watching mirai nikki too what am I doing with life). Lmao this note became a rant session ok bye and thanks y'all!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for stumbling upon this fic :) Before I say anything else, here's a big disclaimer.
> 
> Big disclaimer: I have no idea how the fuck a ballet company functions. I do musical theatre and I’ve only done ballet for about two weeks as a kid, so I am very sorry that my portrayal of a ballet company and of ballet-related-activities may be wrong because I am too lazy to do any in-depth research for a fic. I hope this doesn’t put you off reading this. Of course, if you want me to make any corrections regarding these technicalities or grammar/spelling, feel free to tell me in the comments. I will be more than grateful for your input, and for the wisdom you’ve brought to me.
> 
> Also: I am not a writer. Really. I'm trying really hard but writing's really not my thing, so excuse me if I sound quite unnatural haha...
> 
> The idea came to me after watching a (quite dissapointing and confusing) children's version of Swan Lake, which reminded me of the movie Black Swan, which in turn gave me the idea of Ennoshita being the understudy of Daichi and shit happening (like in s2 ep18), resulting in Ennoshita replacing him. Of course, I also like the idea of Ennoshita and Tanaka together, so yeah...
> 
> 「縁の下の力持ち」is really where Ennoshita's name came from (it says in the hq wiki). I really really love Ennoshita, so it was a priviledge writing from his pov, but I think writing from Tanaka's pov would be more similar to how I feel abt Chika...
> 
> Anyways, I had lots of fun writing this, though I did struggle with it as well:)) I want to thank my friend Sam for betaing this, and my other friends for giving me suggestions on how to advance plot (albeit through very heated debates). I want to thank you for reading this as well! Please give kudos if you enjoyed reading, and I'll be updating this soon (I'm working on chap. 2 now), so do watch out for that! ありがとうございました!!!


End file.
